State Corn, Soy Groups Urge Cuba Trade

BLOOMINGTON – The state’s top agricultural commodity groups are urging President Obama to ramp up the expansion of trade opportunities with Cuba. The Illinois Cuba Working Group (ICWG), of which the Ill. Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and Ill. Soybean Assoc. (ISA) are members, was formed in 1999 to help establish an end to the agricultural products embargo to Cuba in 2001. Now the group wants to broaden the opportunities for the export of ag products to the Communist-controlled nation.

“Just one example is in livestock feed. Illinois corn products could make significant improvements in the rations of the Cuban livestock herd,” said Gary Hudson, ICGA president, in a news release. “Economic research indicates that Illinois ranks sixth nationwide in terms of lost trade opportunities because of the travel and financial restrictions that remain in place with Cuba. If you flip the situation around…you’ll see that there really is a true need for freer trade opportunities between US agricultural interests and Cuban importers.”

ISA Chairman Bill Raben said that additional opportunities for soy product exports to Cuba are being wasted by the restrictions. “Cuba is an important market for Illinois soybeans, given the soybean, meal and oil export potential,” he said. “Although ag products are exempt from the embargo, we are losing significant market share on our soy exports because of restrictions the U.S. imposes on financial transactions with Cuba.”

In a letter to the President, the ICWG asks that the Trade Sanction and Reform Act be amended to 1) establish an agricultural trade office in Cuba as a show of commitment and to facilitate/assist with communication and market entry; 2) remove third-country banking requirements for Cuban transactions and allow transactions to be conducted using credit terms; 3) allow US export promotion and assistance to US ag commodities going to Cuba, and 4) permit US food companies to negotiate trade terms with Cuba. (ISA, ICGA news) 

Agent: More Farmers Preparing for Storms

METAMORA – Coping with the aftermath of extreme weather events such as tornadoes can be less stressful and impactful on farm operations when a natural disaster emergency management plan is in place for your home and farm properties. Knowing which government agencies, insurance companies and other sources to contact for farm disaster assistance, maintaining an accurate, up-to-date farm inventory and implementing a disaster cleanup plan for your farm are key measures that can be taken in advance of storms to help mitigate the oft-devastating results of tornado touchdowns and other extreme weather events.

“I think farmers and homeowners have become a little more cognizant of (pre-planning),” said Bill Christ, a central Illinois farmer and COUNTRY Financial insurance agent in Metamora whose rural clients include several families whose homes and farm operations were destroyed or severely damaged by tornadoes in central Illinois on November 17, 2013. “When you see machine sheds gone and equipment strewn for miles, people realize that storms are becoming more predominant and closer than ever, and are becoming more aware.”

Christ said one of the most crucial post-storm recovery tasks farmers can perform should actually be carried out well in advance of a hazardous weather event: cataloguing possessions.

“The biggest issue we’ve had is getting people to itemize their personal or business property. (Homeowner’s insurance) is a blanket coverage that normally returns 75 percent of the value of the house for (possession) replacement costs, but you won’t necessarily get a check for that amount unless you can prove you owned that much stuff,” Christ said. “I don’t think I had $100,000 in farm personal property thirty years ago when I began farming. Today, it’s normal for anyone with 1,000 acres or better to have $1 million or more in farm equipment, so documentation is very important.”  

Koehler: Streamline Farm Market Regs

PEORIA – Local health departments currently set the rules and regulations for farmer’s markets within their boundaries, but a bill introduced by State Sen. David Koehler (D-Peoria) would allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to establish a single set of regulations encompassing the entire state.

“Many farmers want to sell their fresh produce in communities all over Illinois. But current farmers market regulations are confusing. ” Koehler stated in a May 6 press notice. “What’s legal in one community might be forbidden by another just a few miles down the road. Creating a single statewide set of rules will make it much easier for farmers to meet the increasing demand for locally grown food.”

The bill recently passed the Illinois Senate Agriculture Committee.

New Easement Option Available for Rural Dwellers

SPRINGFIELD – Farmers and rural dwellers considering a conservation easement option to protect their farm or family’s land should take a look at the new farm bill’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), according to Ivan Dozier, Illinois state conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The new conservation program consolidates three former programs– the Wetlands Reserve Program, Grasslands Preserve Program and Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program– into a “super easement” program that provides technical and financial assistance to conserve working farmland and wetlands.

Dozier sent out a notice on May 5 to remind those considering an easement plan that applications must be received by June 6th at local NRCS offices. Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov and click on “ACEP” to learn more about the program. (Ill. NRCS news release)

Illinois Farm Fact:

Winter wheat harvested area in 2014 is forecast at 675,000 acres, down 19 percent from 2013. The winter wheat yield is forecast at 64 bushels per acre, down three bushels from 2013. Production is forecast at 43.2 million bushels, 22 percent less than in 2013. (USDA-NASS Illinois Crop Production report of May 9)

(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for the News Bulletin, Farm World and many other publications.)